Inmate Plans $20 Million Suit Over Jail Privacy Facing Charges In Shootout, Crider Also Claims Harassment
The 42 inmates in the Bonner County Jail have brand-new digs, but they still have complaints.
Gary Crider, in jail on attempted murder charges, says he’s planning on filing a $20 million lawsuit against the county alleging invasion of privacy and harassment by deputies.
He says the lawsuit will be a class action on behalf of inmates whose privacy was violated when a portion of the shower in one cellblock was visible to visitors and other inmates.
“When a visitor came into the jail, you could see directly into our shower when we were taking a shower,” Crider said. “For the women, it wasn’t the general public, but we could see them from the gymnasium.”
Crider also claims the officers he is accused of shooting at have been allowed in the jail and have pointed at him threateningly.
On Monday, Lt. Chuck Day put opaque tinting on windows to block views into the showers, and he also put one-way tinting on all the windows of the cellblocks. Now, inmates can’t see out unless they press their faces against the windows.
“We’re out of the fishbowl now, and they’re in it,” Day said.
But that sparked a new round of complaints.
“We’ve eliminated the problem, and now they’re grieving the fact that we’ve eliminated it,” Day said.
Crider claims that inmates should be able to see one another. Now, if officers were to assault an inmate, other inmates wouldn’t be able to witness the assault, he said.
However, inmates generally aren’t kept in individual cells. The new jail groups inmates in a dormitory setting. In the center is a control room from which a deputy opens and closes heavy metal doors and monitors the living areas by eyesight and the entire jail using video cameras.
Crider also called the changes destruction of evidence.
“Until this thing is settled, they never should have tampered with evidence,” Crider said.
It may take awhile for the issue to be settled because Crider hasn’t found anyone to take his case.
He received a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union on Monday, saying it couldn’t take his case because he already is being represented by a public defender.
Crider said he has provided his attorney with information about the problems and is waiting to see if he does anything with it.
Crider’s complaint follows another by Albert Ratliff, who also has threatened a lawsuit over lack of jail privacy. Ratliff was jailed for violating his probation.
Crider is accused of attempting to shoot police officers during a shootout near his home last summer. His trial is scheduled for Feb. 8.
The new jail was opened in November. It replaced a cramped and outdated jail at the courthouse.
Day said the new jail is a great improvement over the old one.
“I can’t figure out why they’re complaining. They’ve got natural light. They’ve got heat. They’ve got room,” he said. “I can’t fathom why they aren’t happy.”
Susan Drumheller can be reached at (208) 263-6441 or by e-mail at susand@spokesman.com